


D-Day

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-26
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2018-11-19 04:10:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11305392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: The Soul Riders storm the oil rig, but the only thing Shadow cares about is saving her boyfriend. Shadow belongs to esmeraldashadowlord on tumblr.





	1. Chapter 1

_There was screaming and fire all around. Magical attacks flew through the air, barely missing Shadow as she dodged her away across the oil rig. She had to get to the helipad. Had to warn Darko. Had to protect him. The attack was coming, and their aim was to take the base, killing all the Generals in the process, and then take the portal. She knew that Darko would be protecting the portal. He always was. Shadow dove behind a crate, flinching as an attack landed on it, and then took off once more through the rain. She hoped with all her heart that her feet wouldn’t slip out from under her on this rain-slick platform._

_“Darko!” Shadow called out, running onto the helipad at last. He was there, standing in front of the portal just as she’d expected. Dark magic oozed out onto the helipad, shrouding the area in blackness._

_Darko fired without looking, and Shadow’s eyes widened as a magical attack full of sharp edges and wicked curves lashed out towards her. She screamed, and then he looked at her in horror and despair._

_“NO!” Darko cried out, throwing aside his cane and running over to Shadow. But he was too late. The attack hit, filling Shadow with darkness and coldness and pain, and she fell. The last thing she saw was Darko’s worried face, the pain in his features as he looked down at her and cradled her._

Shadow woke up with a gasp and a pounding heart. She frantically felt over her body, making sure that it was all there and alright. She wasn’t in any pain, it was just the memory of pain from the nightmare. But she was shaking, and covered in sweat. She let out a shaky breath and decided to get out of bed. 

She’d been having this nightmare ever since the druids had decided to stage an attack on the platform. Maybe it was a vision. Linda was the Soul Rider who got visions, but Shadow apparently had the powers of all four Soul Riders. But she hadn’t had any visions yet, so maybe it was just a nightmare. She really hoped so. Because she really couldn’t lose Darko. Not when she’d been sneaking out to the oil rig to see him for months.

“Ah, good, the final Soul Rider arrives. We can set off,” said Fripp when Shadow finally arrived at the Secret Stone Circle. She felt numb. She’d been awake for hours, but she hadn’t been able to eat out of worry. She’d barely managed to convince herself to not go out to the oil rig beforehand.

On the platform, Shadow felt ice in her veins as things began to play out like her dream. It was dark, and raining, and attacks flew everywhere as the Soul Riders fought the goons. And, this time, Shadow couldn’t help herself- she had to get to Darko to warn him, to be with him one last time before one of them died.

But when she had to dive behind a crate to avoid a spell, Shadow heard hooves thundering past her. That hadn’t been part of the dream. She got up to find that the Soul Riders had swarmed the helipad, and were there on their horses. Darko was facing them alone. Shadow felt a lump in her throat, and she had to run. But her feet slipped out from under her, and she crashed to the metal below.

“Darko!” she screamed, getting to her feet again. Her body ached from falling, but she couldn’t think about that now.

When she finally got to the helipad, it was chaos. Shadow wanted to protect Darko, but she hadn’t learned any defensive spells. Or offensive. She could only create time bubbles, and blow up Kallstone. And there was no Kallstone around. Spells flew everywhere, Darko’s dark attacks slicing through the light of Alex’s Soul Strike and Linda’s Moon Beam. It batted aside Lisa’s Healing Flame, too. But Darko couldn’t fight the three alone. He couldn’t even get a hit in, he could only defend.

“Esmeralda, get out of here!” Linda called. “It’s not safe for you here!”

“No!” Shadow called back, having to raise her voice to be heard over the attacks and the wind and the rain. “I’m not leaving him to die!”

“What? But Justin’s been saved,” said Alex.

“I wasn’t talking about him,” said Shadow. In the brief break in the fighting, Shadow started to make her way over to Darko. And Darko finally got a hit in.

Tin Can reared as blackness scythed at him, slicing his legs above his knees. Alex growled and fired up a spell.

“Shadow, they are right,” said Darko as he deflected the blow. “You are not safe here. Go through that door and hide.”

“No, I don’t want to leave you behind,” said Shadow. But she did get behind the room that housed the staircase, hiding there and watching the battle helplessly. Alex’s attacks only got more savage, and now Darko was distracted by having to protect Shadow. She should never have come here. Or she should have come and warned him, or learned some defensive magic, or _something_.

A bright flash brought Shadow out of her thoughts, and she heard a grunt as Darko staggered back. Part of his chest was glimmering. Shadow didn’t even think, she just ran over to him.

“NO!” she screamed, diving onto him as he fell under another direct hit. Now more of his chest was glimmering. Sparkling. But it was transparent, too. And it was spreading.

“I told you to hide,” Darko whispered, his voice full of pain as the Soul Strike spread across his chest.

“No,” Shadow whispered, her eyes wet with tears. “Don’t you die on me. Don’t you dare. It was meant to be me.”

“No,” said Darko, grimacing in pain. “You were never meant to die. You are too bright to be snuffed out.”

“But you’re so strong! You can’t just die,” said Shadow, her tears dripping onto his face.

“You were the best part of this cycle,” said Darko, running his fingers through her soaking wet hair. “I will miss you.”

“But can’t you revive or heal yourself or do something?” asked Shadow. “You’re so powerful. And I’m powerful, and we can do anything together. Anything! You told me that!”

“Not this,” said Darko, putting his hands over hers. The Soul Strike had spread to his entire torso now, lighting them both up in a glow. “I am only strong enough to delay the effects of Soul Strike. Just long enough to say goodbye.”

“No, don’t say that, please,” said Shadow, feeling her heart breaking. “What will I do without you?”

“You are strong. You will survive,” said Darko. “I have faith in you, Shadow.”

“But if I’m so strong, why can’t I save you?” asked Shadow. “The druids were holding me back, you could’ve taught me… you should’ve taught me…”

“Perhaps you will learn resurrection,” said Darko. “You are right, I will revive. But not until the next cycle.”

“Why?” asked Shadow, sobbing. “Why do you have to leave me?”

“Because it is the way of things,” said Darko. “I love you, Shadow.”

“And I love you, Darko,” said Shadow, shaking. “Always.” She kissed him, unmindful of the tears, and he kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her.

They kissed until Darko went still, and then Shadow held his still form, sobbing. The bright Soul Strike lit the area in a bright white glow, illuminating the rain falling on them. And then Darko’s form disappeared in a burst of white sparkles, and Shadow was alone, sobbing, on the dark helipad.


	2. Memorial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I decided to continue this, though it might be a bit short. On the Dark Core oil rig, a young woman stands at a grave.

Rain pattered down on the stone slab, darkening the already-grey stone to a much darker hue. It ran down the headstone, over the inlaid golden letters, too bright against the dark grey, and pooled in the centre of the grave. The woman standing over this grave frowned to see it. Though her beau may not lay there, she still didn’t want his memory to be desecrated by this cursed rain. Even if he was the reason that the rain was here at all. Not only did it add to the dramatic flair, it also hid the sound and sight of the Hell Portal from any ships that came too close. And it was a ‘rational’ reason for the ever-present darkness. Nobody would know that it was eternally night here if the clouds blotted out the sky. A flash of lightning illuminated a photograph that had been placed against the headstone. Though protected by the rain by glass and what was supposed to be a waterproof frame, some moisture had still leaked in, smearing the ink and turning Darko’s face vaguely pink. The woman sighed, leaning down to pick up the photo so that she could look at it.

The picture depicted a grinning woman with long, curly brown hair streaked with gold, and green eyes seeming to glow as she clearly enjoyed her company. A handsome man stood beside her, his arm wrapped around her waist and a small smile spread across his face. Though Shadow could see, even from the picture, that Darko’s blue eyes shone with happiness. Shadow’s face crumpled as she beheld the happy scene, a scene that could never take place again now. He was gone. She’d seen his body fade away, held it until there was nothing left but white sparkles. She would hate Alex forever for what she had done, hate the druids forever.

Shadow bent down carefully to put the photo back, making a mental note to get a better frame and replace the photo. She had a digital copy of it on her phone, of course, and her computer. He was her background for everything.

“Hello, my love,” said Shadow, not caring about the water dripping from her hair, her clothes, her face. It mingled with the tears, and would have frozen someone else. But Shadow was stronger now, able to withstand the cold. Or maybe she’d just gotten used to it. “I know that speaking to you is pointless, but, well… I’ve fitted your memorial with recording software, so that you’ll be able to hear what everyone was saying when I bring you back.

“It’s been weeks now since you died. Well, ‘died’ is a pretty strong word, you really just faded away. And you will be back, I’m going to make sure of that. But, well. It’s been weeks since the Keepers’ attack on the oil rig. I had nothing to do with it, you know that. And believe me, it hurt like hell when they, when they just killed you like that.” She trembled, closing her eyes and swallowing the lump in her throat. “I still miss you so much. And it’s worse because…” She rested a hand on her stomach, still flat but she knew it would be round one day. “I’m carrying your child. I found out after you died.” She blinked away tears. “Heh, we never were careful. Maybe that was your plan, I don’t know. Even if I fail at my plan, though, you’ll live on in your child. I promise you that.

“I’ve continued my training. It’s not the same, without you to teach me. Training just isn’t as fun without the promise of sex afterwards. The other Generals don’t know how I work, how my magic works. It’s so formal now, so much hard work. They keep telling me to forget everything I learned with the druids, but the thing is that I learned nothing with them. Closing Pandoric cracks, measuring Pandoric activity on runestones, dispelling illusions, yeah, that’s all well and good, but I couldn’t defend myself. You taught me how to do that, though. Too bad I couldn’t defend you, too bad she didn’t die instead, too bad it wasn’t her fading away while you stood and battled by my side.” Her voice petered off as the memories came rushing back. Shadow trembled, clenching her hands into fists. She swallowed again.

“I left the Keepers the instant you left this mortal plane. I would’ve been kicked out anyway, though, the way I was acting. Too bad I couldn’t kill Alex before I left, but that probably would’ve been a bad idea anyway. They would’ve come after me for killing one of their Soul Riders, one of the big four. But I wouldn’t have regretted it. I’m actually training to become stronger so that I can kill her. Kill all of them. Take out the Soul Riders, the druids, one by one. Slowly. Let them feel the pain that I felt as you faded in my arms. But don’t worry, I’m being careful with my condition. I won’t push myself too far or stress myself out. It’s bad for the baby, and if my plan fails, the baby will be all I have left to remind me of you. Maybe I’ll even name him after you. But no, you’ll be here to name him, you’ll have to be. That’s my self-imposed time limit to raise you.

“I don’t know how I’m going to do it, but I have life magic, healing magic, from the Star Circle, surely I’ll be able to do something. The other Generals are a bit wary of the Soul Rider magic, but I’ve told them and proven to them time and again that I’m on your side now. The magic that I wield may be light, but I can use it for dark purposes. Hell, I’m dabbling in necromancy, how much darker can you get?

“Speaking of dark, I went through your notes and discovered how to make a Dark Horse. I turned Dancer into one, after experimenting on a few other horses that I captured from around Jorvik. The stables have expanded, and they’re not all Jorvik Wilds, don’t worry. Dark Core needs fast horses, I know that. With Anwir’s help, I’ve turned dozens. Sands has actually had to rent out some land to build a new stable on, in a location blocked off to the druids and protected by my magic.” Her fingers glimmered with the magic that she possessed, magic that had once been used to stroke over a muscular torso and arms, magic that had been honed by months of practice. “I don’t know if that was your plan for me, to create Dark Horses, but I’m doing it. And with my Wild Whispering skill that I recently discovered before the raid, I’ve been able to find so many. It’s so easy.”

“I moved out here onto the oil rig too, to be closer to you and your memorial.” Waves crashed against the pylons as she spoke, but she’d rigged the recording software in such a way to only pick up voices and not ambient sounds. “Lea helped me set this whole thing up, by the way. She lives here now too with Dunya. I think that they’re privately frightened about the same thing happening to them. We’re all on edge. After all, we know that the druids can and will kill us. They’re not so innocent after all, their hands are as red as ours. Maybe I should recruit people to our cause by showing them the real druids. Maybe that’d be a good idea, maybe not. I don’t know. But my main goal right now is to resurrect you. And possibly to avenge you if that doesn’t work, but I know that you’ll want to get revenge. And you shall.

“The instant you’re back with me, once I’m done hugging you and checking you to make sure that you’re okay, we’re going to do a raid on the druids the same way they did a raid on us. They need to pay for what they’ve done, for the lies they’ve spread, the lives they’ve taken. It’s the one thing that the Generals and I can agree on.” She clenched her fists, her gaze stony. “And that’s a promise.

“But knowing you, you’d want to know how I’ve been coping.” Shadow’s stance and gaze softened as she thought back to the past few rough weeks. “And the truth is that I haven’t been coping. When you died, or turned into stardust or whatever you did, it felt like my world had imploded.”

Shadow shuddered as she thought back to that time. She’d knelt there on the helipad, sobbing, the rain plastering her hair to her face and her clothes to her body. She hadn’t just been miserable, she’d been destroyed. Completely and utterly destroyed. Darko had been her life, the best thing that had ever happened to her, the reason for her happiness. And to have him gone? To see him and feel him fade away in her arms, leaving her holding nothing? She’d crumpled, but only for a moment. Only until one of the druids or Soul Riders, she didn’t know or care who, had walked over to her, put their hand on her shoulder, and told her that it’d be okay, that he was gone now and that she was free from his influence. Shadow told Darko this now, shaking as she remembered the rage that had filled her.

“I think I started screaming, then. Or maybe I’d been screaming all along and only just noticed it. My throat hurt like hell the next day, I couldn’t even speak. But I turned to them, and I told them that the only thing I was free of was the druids. I stood up and I told them, right then and there, that I was leaving the Keepers forever, that I no longer considered myself one of them. Someone stepped forward, saying something about removing my powers, and I lashed out at them with a blast of magic. Now I can sort of do Soul Strike, Katja is strangely familiar with it, but back then, it was just power with no direction, just the intent to hurt and make them go away. Which they did, luckily for them. I don’t think I would’ve been so lenient otherwise.

“I’m scared to go to the mainland now.” It felt strange, to admit that out loud. She hadn’t even admitted it to the one former Keeper on this base. “I’m scared that they’ll try to strip me of my powers, or brainwash me. They still say that Justin was brainwashed, according to some friends that I still talk to online, and maybe he was, but I know that I definitely wasn’t brainwashed. Because you love me and you wouldn’t do that to me. Besides, I wouldn’t still be feeling like this if it was something that you’d done. They’d probably call me a deluded, love-sick fool, but I don’t care. I love you, and that’s all that matters. But I don’t even need to go to the mainland, because I have my friends and family out here now. I mean, Sabine is basically my mother in law, right? Which is still weird to think about, but that’s how it is. At any rate, she’s looking forward to having a grandchild, despite everyone else threatening to call her ‘grandma’. I’ve never seen her look so happy before. It’s kind of frightening.

“Anyway, I’ve been out here in the rain talking for hours, so I guess I should stop now. I don’t want to catch a cold, after all. And I’m sure that someone else must want to talk to you. Goodbye for now, my love. I’ll be back very soon.”

Shadow knelt down again to pick up the photo. She gave it a kiss, smiling as she touched the image of Darko’s face. She’d be able to touch his real face again soon. And then, after putting the photo back down, Shadow walked back inside the base, to where the air was warmer and significantly drier. And yet a part of her still felt cold.


	3. Resurrection

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shadow brings Darko back to life.

It hadn’t stopped raining, not even in the months that Shadow had been hard at work perfecting her necromantic powers. Rain lashed down on her as she stood over the grave once more, accompanied by a slight wind that tossed about her robes, open to accommodate her bulging stomach, and her curly brown hair. She held Darko’s cane, the only thing that had been left of him on the helipad after that fateful battle. She’d kept it all this time as a memento of him. And, when she’d discovered that it would be required for this spell, she’d been glad that she’d held onto it for so long instead of burying it.

Now, Shadow looked up a little, trying to pick out the stars that she knew would be there beyond the clouds. It would be a full moon tonight, she knew, perfect for this powerful a spell. The moon would lend her the energy that she needed.

“I’ll see you very soon, my love,” said Shadow. And, taking a deep breath, she reached for the darkness that now resided within herself. Yet it was not only the darkness given to her by Darko in the form of the baby boy that she carried, no. It was also what had become of her magic. For months after Darko’s death, Shadow had been visited in the night by ghostly figures that bemoaned the fading of her light. Part of her believed that these had been dreams brought about by her own fears after she’d noticed that her magic was no longer the light of Aideen but dark, black as ink. But she’d embraced it, knowing that this was for the best. This was her destiny now, no longer was she to be the saviour of Jorvik, now she would be Darko’s queen. And that was just fine by her.

Shadow twirled Darko’s cane, exactly the way that she’d seen him do many times before. There was a trick to it, to move one’s fingers over runes etched into the black wood to achieve the desired spell. As she twirled it, though, black flames flickered along the length of it instead of the red flames that Darko had often used. The eyes of the golden horse skull topping the cane glowed red, leaving red streaks through the air. Ending the spell, Shadow thrust the cane towards her swollen stomach, though she stopped before hitting it so that the tip of the cane barely touched her stomach. The good thing about this was that early labour was no risk at this late stage, and the risk of miscarriage was gone completely. The worst that could happen was that she’d go into labour right after bringing Darko back, but that would be just fine. Darko wouldn’t have to wait to meet his son that way.

There was a slight tugging sensation as Shadow withdrew some of Darko’s essence from his son, but she gritted her teeth against the discomfort. Some pangs remained when she removed the cane, which trailed black fire, but she ignored these pains. Darko was far more important than some minor discomfort. Shadow twirled the cane again, her mind set so completely to the task that she was unaware of what was happening to her body, and slammed the tip of it down onto the grave where she’d already set out some of his hair that she’d found in their bedroom.

“Arise, my lord,” said Shadow, ignoring the trembling in her legs. This was quite an exhausting spell, but she wasn’t done yet. “Arise and walk among us once more. And come to meet your son.” As the last words left her lips, Shadow’s vision greyed alarmingly, but she shook her head and ignored it. She would just need a glass of water after this, that was all. She set her gaze back upon the grave, where she could see something happening. Wisps of darkness arose from the grave, slowly coalescing into a form. Shadow saw the feet form first, followed by the legs. To the relief of her queasy stomach, Darko’s flesh and blood didn’t appear, nor did his bones or insides. It was only shadows, coiling like smoke until they solidified into a pair of boots with sharp spurs on the heels, and cargo pants that had enough pockets and buckles to outfit the most dedicated explorer. Shadow watched all of this with hungry eyes, ignoring the growing pain in her stomach. Her trembling limbs and depleted magic reserves told her that it had been a success. And yet, she still worried. Had it worked? Would Darko be before her, her Darko, the one that she’d lost so many months ago? It looked like her Darko, but she still doubted.

It was only when she saw his eyes that Shadow knew that it had succeeded. Those blue eyes could only belong to him, along with his porcelain skin, red hair, and high forehead. Darko gasped as the spell finished, clutching his chest slightly as though checking to make sure that he was alive. He patted his body, checking that it was all there, and then he looked at his future queen, who was swaying on her feet.

“Shadow?” Darko rasped. He coughed and cleared his throat, and Shadow wished that she’d brought out some water for him. She should have expected that he’d need something to help recover.

“I’m sorry, I-“ Shadow began, and then she swayed on her feet, the world greying away again. When it came back, she could feel Darko’s arms around her. She looked up at him, shocked.

“I am afraid that I do not have the strength to carry you, my love,” said Darko, looking down at her. “I may be able to support you somewhat, though.”

“I guess we both need to go to the infirmary,” said Shadow, wincing as another pang passed through her stomach. She clutched her stomach, the pain becoming worse now that she noticed it.

“Perhaps one of the other Generals can help,” said Darko. “But I do not trust them. We will go inside as far as we can.”

“As long as I don’t have to give birth in this damn rain, it’s fine,” said Shadow, hissing through her teeth as another contraction hit. A part of her desperately wanted Darko to take her in his arms and carry her to the infirmary, but she knew that he was nowhere near strong enough for that. Instead, she leaned on him as they walked into the interior of the oil rig, their features illuminated now by the rather harsh glow of the barred bulbs set into the walls.

Fortunately, it wasn’t long before the two came across one of the goons, sitting eating his ‘lunch’ in the corridor.

“You there!” Darko snapped, and the goon’s face (what little was visible around his goggles) paled alarmingly, as though he’d seen a ghost.

“M-m-mister Darko?” the man stammered, dropping his lunchbox and scrambling to his feet. His food spilled out over the floor, but Darko knew better than to take it. All food of the Dark Core employees was ‘flavoured’ with herbs that would keep them dumb and stupid. “But I thought you were-“

“Dead, yes, I know, but I’m not anymore, now fetch two of the strongest guards here to assist my queen to the infirmary. And myself, of course,” said Darko, his eyes on the water bottle that had spilled out of the lunchbox. But no, he couldn’t risk that.

“Y-y-yes sir!” the goon said, and ran down the hallway, his feet slipping slightly. Darko grumbled at the idiocy of the goons here and continued on as best he could, though his strength was fading rapidly. Shadow seemed to be fading too, leaning against him more and more as her legs threatened to collapse beneath her.

“Hang in there,” Darko murmured, kissing the top of her head. “I’ll get you to the infirmary if I have to carry you myself.” Shadow groaned, her eyes squeezing shut against the pain.

At last, two goons appeared, one with a wheelchair, which Darko reluctantly lowered Shadow into. The other goon supported Darko as he walked, which he didn’t want to accept. But he knew that he had to, or risk stumbling and worrying Shadow, not to mention making a fool of himself.

Though the medical staff wanted to treat Darko away from Shadow, he protested, flinging their arms off of him and immediately striding over to be by Shadow’s side. He did, however, accept a bottle of water and a protein bar. Though in reality he hadn’t tasted them in months, to him, it felt like only a few moments had passed. His thirst and hunger surprised him, but his attention was all on Shadow. He barely even noticed the fight that broke out among the midwives, though he did turn to scowl at them.

“One of you needs to leave,” said Darko, glowering at the two other Generals. “Katja, you can stay.”

“How come she gets to stay?” asked Sabine, frowning. “He’s my grandson.”

“Yes, and you will get to meet him later,” said Darko. “However, Katja attended my birth, so I know that she knows what she’s doing.” Katja smirked at Sabine, but Darko only glared at his mother until she sighed.

“Fine,” said Sabine. “But if anything goes wrong, I’ll kill you.” Katja rolled her eyes and, though she seemed a little hesitant, she stepped over to Shadow’s bedside. Her hands trembled slightly, so Darko kept a careful eye on both her and his queen. Though it hurt him to see Shadow in so much pain, she looked healthy, at least.

The birth seemed to take forever, but finally, Shadow brought their son into the world. She was exhausted, sweat soaking into her hair around her face, but she seemed to glow as she smiled at the beautiful red-haired baby that was placed into her arms. She cooed, brushing her fingers over his tiny face. Darko was grinning, almost crying as he gazed down on his son.

“Congratulations, you have a healthy baby boy,” said Katja. She looked sad as she looked at the red-haired baby boy, and Darko knew that she was thinking of the son who had been sacrificed to Garnok to become stronger.

“Thank you for assisting, Katja,” said Darko, nodding at her. “You may go now, I guess.”

“Let me know if anything seems off with mother or baby,” said Katja, walking out of the room quickly. Darko barely heard her clicking heels fade away, though, he was far too invested in his new baby son.

“He’s gorgeous,” said Darko, unable to take his eyes off of his son.

“I was going to suggest that you listen to the tapes from your memorial while I was in labour,” said Shadow, flicking her eyes up towards Darko.

“I could not have concentrated on any tapes,” said Darko, reaching out a hand to touch his newborn son. The look of sheer adoration on his face made Shadow’s heart melt. “I cannot even think of a name to give our son.”

“Me neither,” said Shadow, laying her head back against the pillows that Katja had propped up for her before she’d left. “I was so busy concentrating on bringing you back.”

“You did that?” asked Darko, looking at her with awe in his eyes. Shadow nodded, smiling.

“I had to bring you back,” said Shadow. “So I researched necromancy and… well, I explained all of it in the tapes. The only thing that I got hung up on was when I read that it’d need some of your essence. I had some hair, but I knew that your blood would be better. So I waited until the last moment, when I knew that it wouldn’t matter if he was born a bit early, because I knew that it’d probably bring on my labour.”

“My Shadow,” Darko murmured, kissing her forehead. “Your knowledge of magic continues to astound me.” Shadow smiled, closing her eyes.

“Listen to the tapes while I sleep,” said Shadow. “Please. You’ll understand better that way.”

“I will be sure to do so,” said Darko, stroking her sweat-damp hair. “Rest now, my love. You have achieved two great tasks today. Bringing life, not once, but twice.”

Darko left Shadow to her rest, though he didn’t leave her side for long. Instead, once he’d retrieved the tapes, he sat by her bedside and listened to the months of information that he’d missed out on.


End file.
